Vidhi Dholakia

Cryo-EM structure reveals how influenza A virus NEP binds the viral polymerase at a regulatory hotspot, coordinating RNA synthesis and nuclear export. Fantastic collaboration with @loiccarrique.bsky.social and Jon Grimes. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

First evidence in Europe of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 infection in a dairy cow. Antibodies against H5N1 detected in a cow with mastitis and respiratory signs on a Dutch dairy farm at the end of December. A cat on that farm had died from H5N1. www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/do...

Really excited our paper about how H5N1 rapidly adapted to cattle (and how these adaptations also increased its ability to infect cells from the human respiratory tract) is now published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A new path to spillover: MHC-II entry of influenza A viruses Spillover of influenza A viruses from animals to humans represents a threat to our health. This Perspective discusses emerging research that suggests some influenza A viruses can enter host cells via…

Spillover of #influenza A viruses from animals to humans represents a threat to our health. In this Perspective, Silke Stertz @virology.uzh.ch discusses emerging research that suggests some influenza A viruses can enter host cells via MHC-II receptors across species 🧪 #virology

Avian-origin influenza A viruses tolerate elevated pyrexic temperatures in mammals Host body temperature can define a virus’s replicative profile—influenza A viruses (IAVs) adapted to 40° to 42°C in birds are less temperature sensitive in vitro compared with human isolates adapted t...

🚨New Paper!🚨
Some like it hot: Matt Turnbull and @samjwilsonphd.bsky.social collaborated with groups from @cvrinfo.bsky.social, @cam.ac.uk and beyond to show that, while our fevers are hot enough to control human flu, they don't protect against avian influenzas adaptd to the hotter bodies of birds

H5N1 in bats - what should we think about this?
@itingtu.bsky.social explains her recent preprint (a collaboration with multiple @cvrinfo.bsky.social groups) in a really nice interview with @science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...

A paper design for cutting out some sort of snowflake

On the first day of Christmas, a virus gave to me...

A diagram depicting a PhD project whereby editing salmon cells or ova leads to viral resistance from ISAV.

If you are looking for a PhD in the UK, please check out the LIDo program - www.lido-dtp.ac.uk/apply.
If you are interested in viruses and making genetically edited salmon, please look up my icase project.
International students are welcome to apply!
Please reach out if you have questions.

Genetic reassortment and diversification of host specificity have driven evolutionary trajectories of lineages of panzootic H5N1 influenza Since 2021, subclade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) viruses have undergone changes in ecology and epidemiology, causing a panzootic of unprecedented scale in wild and domes...

Really excited to have been a part of this study, lead by @willharv.bsky.social on how reassortment of H5N1 in birds has lead to a 'specialist' genotype that thrives in seabirds and drives summer/spring (rather than winter) waves of poultry outbreaks www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Want to move to Switzerland? We are looking for a postdoc to study airborne viruses:
careers.epfl.ch/job/Lausanne...

@linseymarr.bsky.social @lakdawalalab.bsky.social @corsiaq.bsky.social @influenzal.bsky.social @chuckhaas.bsky.social

Our lab is looking for a post-doc to investigate the effect of air composition on respiratory virus transmission!
If you're someone with experience in virus inactivation, cryo-EM and fluorescence microscopy, and/or aerosol science, apply here:

careers.epfl.ch/job/Lausanne...

Something a little different.
If you're looking for interesting science to engage with older school children, I would like to plug my students' work on cow flu - where it came from and what risk it might pose.
doi.org/10.1042/bio_...

PS> Not peer reviewed but was fun to help write!

A beautiful figure. Global detections of A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b in mammalian species, split by sporadic detections (black) and detections which are associated with an outbreak (orange) alongside key mammalian adaptive mutations. Taken from Capelastegui & Goldhill 2025.

Excited to present the first review from my lab!
Which mutations allow H5 influenza to jump into humans or other mammals? How close is H5 to a pandemic? This review has the answers and explains the molecular mechanism behind the mutations.
Led by @fcapelastegui.bsky.social.
doi.org/10.1099/jgv....

Induction of tunnelling nanotube-like structures by influenza A viruses requires the onset of apoptosis Author summary Influenza A viruses (IAVs) spread efficiently through the respiratory tract in the form of extracellular virus particles, but can be restricted by neutralising antibodies and antiviral ...

🚨🔎 Out now in PLOS Pathogens ! 🔎🚨 This project has taken us @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social on a wild and wonderful journey. I am excited to share our story of how influenza A viruses (IAVs) exploit cell death to facilitate its covert spread. N/1 journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Timing and molecular characterisation of the transmission to cattle of H5N1 influenza A virus genotype D1.1, clade 2.3.4.4b Jonathan E. Pekar, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Thomas P. Peacock, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, UK, GU24 0NF; Department of Infectious Disease, Imper...

Our analysis of the second incursion of H5N1 viruses (genotype D1.1) into dairy cattle in the US is now posted to virological virological.org/t/timing-and...

🎺 PhD studentship available at @lshtm.bsky.social and RVC! @influenzal.bsky.social and I are advertising for a project to investigate the unexpected phenomenon that mutagenic antiviral drugs can give rise to viruses with hundreds of mutations which are still viable. 🧵
www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/fees-a...

Deepening our understanding of cross-species antibody responses to H5Nx influenza viruses at The Pirbright Institute on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Deepening our understanding of cross-species antibody responses to H5Nx influenza viruses at The Pirbright Institute, listed on FindAPhD.com

Just out: PhD opportunity with Dr Marie Di Placido, Dr Stephen Dunham, Prof Munir Iqbal, Prof. Janet Daley and myself looking at how different livestock species make antibody responses to H5N1.

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

A region of purple cells and a region of green cells, touching but not overlapping

Why can't these viruses be friends?
During her PhD, Anna Sims showed that influenza viruses segregate into genetically-distinct lesion through a process called superinfection exclusion. In a new preprint, she shows that the same process also applies for SARS-CoV-2
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A picture of a Fresian cow whose markings resemble influenza viruses

Our study on pasteurising influenza viruses in milk is now out! It's a nice simple story: influenza viruses (including H5N1) are killed really effectively by pasteurisation, but in raw milk they stay infectious - obvious public health implications of both points... (1/2)
rdcu.be/d73te

Please share widely!

We are recruiting a 3-year postdoc at the RVC to develop new methodology to infer epidemic dynamics from wild animal viromes sampled across changeable environments.

Further details: jobs.rvc.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

Feel free to reach out with any questions. Deadline Feb 9th

Polymerase mutations underlie adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.06.631435v1

Polymerase mutations underlie adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals. In early 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle in the USA. The epidemic remains uncontrolled, with spillbacks into poultry, wild birds...

Really proud to share our preprint describing early adaptation of H5N1 to US dairy cattle, and showing how these mutations enhance the ability of the virus to infect other mammals, such as pigs and humans.

With @influenzal.bsky.social @vidhid.bsky.social @drclairesmith.bsky.social and many more!